AFT Local 5101

Hundreds of nurses and health professionals last week gathered in Washington, D.C. to raise their voices on the issues affecting frontline caregivers and their patients. They came to the nation's capitol for AFT's annual Professional Issues Conference (PIC) and Labor Academy for hospital and healthcare workers. More than 30 members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions were among the attendees for this year's event, organized under the theme "Where the Front Line Meets the Bottom Line."

Danbury - Service, maintenance, environmental workers and nursing assistants at Danbury and New Milford Hospitals are reacting to a complaint issued in response to charges their employer violated federal labor laws. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Thursday scheduled hearings over illegal practices conducted by Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN) managers and consultants against the group of approximately 800 employees. The board's complaint cites violations that were part of a coordinated campaign by the non-profit's top executives to subvert their healthcare workers' legal rights to form a union.

Danbury - Service, environmental, maintenance and other vital patient care providers at Danbury and New Milford Hospitals are taking additional steps to hold the network operating both facilities accountable under the law. An employee last week anonymously filed a "whistleblower" complaint under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The action followed patient medical information breaches by outside consultants retained by the Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN) to thwart both facilities' healthcare workers' legally protected efforts to form a union.

Danbury - Surgical and radiology technologists, licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and respiratory clinicians at Danbury and New Milford Hospitals on Friday voted "Union Yes" in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-supervised election. The caregivers cast their ballots 11 weeks after achieving majority status and seeking voluntary recognition of their union from the Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN). The network refused, leading to lengthy and costly delays, a federal labor board hearing in October and Friday's secret ballot vote for the new bargaining unit of approximately 260 employees.

New Milford – Registered nurses at New Milford Hospital today overwhelmingly voted down concessions demanded by the community hospital’s corporate owners that failed to address safe staffing ratios or assure quality patient care. The package was presented by the Western Connecticut Healthcare Network (WCHN) Corporation as an alternative to previously announced nursing position cuts, but management refused to include protections from future layoffs.

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Billionaire-backed special interests are exploiting public employees' privacy as part of a deceptive campaign to undermine their unions and silence their voices. Click here to sign and share our petition demanding candidates reject these outrageous tactics and the forces behind them.